BEIJING, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- The number of passengers carried by Chinese airlines rose 17.6 percent in the first half of 2007 when compared to the same time period last year.
The General Administration of Civil Aviation of China found that during the first half of this year, Chinese airlines carried 86.7 million passengers and also enjoyed greater domestic traffic, China's official news agency Xinhua reported Saturday.
The number of passengers on domestic flights rose by 15.3 percent, the administration revealed Saturday, to a total of 77.8 million.
International travel rose 21.8 percent when compared to the same period in 2006 with 7.9 million passengers using Chinese airlines' international services.
Similar substantial increases also were enjoyed by the nation's airlines in relation to cargo traffic, both internationally and domestic.
Xinhua said such dramatic increases ultimately helped Chinese airlines' bottom-line as their combined revenue increased by 19 percent compared to early 2006 for a total of more than $11.3 billion so far this year.
